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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Farewell to the Big Cat

He stood outside the locker room, his Miami Heat hat pulled low and his hands in his pockets.
One by one his former teammates walked into the locker room in the back of the Great Plains Coliseum.
No sorrys, not much said between them.
One former teammate gives him a low five as he skirts into the locker room.
A fan walks by on the way into the locker room.
"You ok man?"
His eyes sink to the floor, head hanging low.
"No man, I'm out."
The words of DeAndre Thomas.
Thomas was fired from the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry on Thursday night.
Fired at halftime, mind you.
After a first half of the season that showed glimpses of being a solid player in a backup role to Shawn Daniels, Thomas seemed to be getting along well. He was making his mark as a center that could make the move to the bucket and make the pass to the cutting guard.
He was just like Daniels.
However, unlike Daniels there was something brewing there. Something that has followed him from team to team.
He just can't take criticism, and that boiled over Thursday when he was fired from the team at halftime after getting into a verbal scuffle with head coach Michael Ray Richardson.
In the first half, Thomas was playing a game that was deserving of criticism. Just scoring one point, Thomas missed three of his four free throws and had only one rebound in just over four minutes.
He was lazy up the floor, and didn't get back to play defense. So much said in so few minutes.
Basically the same thing that was said about him in Halifax.
The Cavs will have to replace Thomas' 11 points a game and his four rebounds a game, but expect that to come soon, perhaps as soon as Friday.
Remember, Richardson has said on numerous occasions that he is constantly fielding calls from players.
But for now we say goodbye to the Big Cat, who showed at times he could have been the wave of the future.
If he had only listened.